As a bar exam mindset coach, I've had the privilege of working with many students who struggle with commitment—particularly when it comes to picking a bar exam date. Tanya, one of my mentees, recently shared how this challenge was holding her back from making real progress. She had been preparing for the bar on and off, but without a set exam date, it was difficult for her to maintain a consistent study schedule.
Tanya’s struggle is something I see often. The fear of failure can make committing to a bar date seem daunting. It's a fear many bar exam takers face, and it manifests in different ways. For Tanya, it was the fear of judgment—she worried that the Board of Bar Examiners had taken note of her and would judge her for taking the exam multiple times. She feared that her age would prevent her from getting hired even after passing. These are real fears, but they can be managed.
One of the strategies I suggested to Tanya, which has helped many of my other students, is to stop fixating on the exam date and just start studying. Sometimes, the fear of commitment can paralyze progress, but by shifting the focus away from that end goal and towards simply showing up for yourself daily, you begin to build the habit of consistency. You take one small step forward, and over time, those steps add up.
For example, I coached an attorney who had been avoiding the bar exam for years. She constantly postponed the exam because of her fear of failing and facing harsh self-criticism. We worked together on building new habits—starting with something as simple as sitting down to study after dinner. She didn’t have to study for hours; she just had to open her laptop and log into her study course. Eventually, she began to increase her study time naturally, and before she knew it, she had built a consistent study habit.
So, if you’re stuck in the same position as Tanya, feeling paralyzed by the fear of failure, here’s my advice: don’t worry about setting a bar date just yet. Start by creating a routine that makes showing up for yourself a habit. Whether it’s opening your laptop or reading through one module of study material, these small actions will help build momentum.
Consistency is your key to success, and as you get comfortable with the process, committing to a bar date will become less intimidating.
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